


freckles like stars

by keriito



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-28
Updated: 2014-07-28
Packaged: 2018-02-10 17:48:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2034309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keriito/pseuds/keriito
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I figured that you would not be able to do your best work in this condition, and considering you've just returned from a six month-long expedition..." Ja'far begins removing the obi around his waist, and you raise an eyebrow. "It's the least I could do."</p>
<p>"Is it now..."</p>
<p>"You’ve worked hard, Sin."</p>
            </blockquote>





	freckles like stars

**Author's Note:**

> this takes place the night sinbad returns from the kou empire, after maharagan ends!  
> warning: terrible pick-up lines and a lot of cheese, read at your own discretion

It's always summer in Sindria, but every night comes to an end, as do the parties that come with it. 

Maharagan was as festive as ever, and even with the windswept embers high in the night sky, the jangling of anklets gone, and Sindrian flowers scattered haphazardly across the now empty plaza, you feel the slightest bit content.

Ja'far pulls you away, once everyone finishes cleaning up.

"Sin, now that the festivities have ended, please refrain from drinking any more."

And you let him, because you only arrived back from the Kou Empire earlier today and while partying all night with your friends, your family, and your country is everything you've ever wanted, you _are_ tired. Your mind feels dim from the alcohol and all the exhaustion catching up to you, so you lean into Ja'far for support.

"Hm? Ah, Sin..." Ja'far clicks his tongue, shifting your arm around his neck to make the position more comfortable, as if the height difference didn't already make that difficult. "What am I going to do with you, honestly... You can't walk on your own?"

You only hum a little, enjoying the warm nighttime air smelling of Sindrian delicacies and charred wood. Everyone has gone home by now, so the night is silent, save for the clacking of your shoes down the stone corridors of the palace. On your right, you hear Ja'far sigh.

"Well, there's no helping it, is there..."

He leads you down a series of hallways, all the way to his bedroom, and you're almost too tired to be surprised. He holds a finger to his lips, then allows you to enter first. You've already sat down on his bed by the time he closes the door behind him.

"And what have I done to deserve this special treatment?" You ask him with a cheeky grin on your face, and Ja'far tilts his head up, looking in the other direction.

"Ah, _well_." He clears his throat, hiding the lower half of his face behind his sleeves. "I figured that you would not be able to do your best work in this condition, and considering you've just returned from a six month-long expedition..." Ja'far begins removing the obi around his waist, and you raise an eyebrow. "It's the least I could do."

"Is it now..."

"You’ve worked hard, Sin." He says quietly, shrugging his robes off. He joins you on the bed and stares hard at your metal vessels. "Aren’t you going to remove those? They make such a racket."

"Hmm? Normally you'd want me to wear these at all times, Ja’far!" you say incredulously, maybe teasing him as well, and he gives you a look, waving his hand dismissively.

"Ahh, it's no matter. You somehow manage to undress yourself while sleeping, anyways."

"I have a feeling it won’t be _me_ who does the undressing tonight."

" _Sin_!!!" Ja'far near screeches as his face turns bright red, and you laugh, pulling the keffiyeh off his head.

You brush aside his soft bangs and leaning close, you whisper, "Am I wrong?"

His dark jade eyes flash in what may be anger, embarrassment, defeat, or all three. But as quickly as you'd expect of a former assassin, Ja'far has already gripped the jewels around your neck in his hands, and captured your lips in his.

* * *

Ja’far’s breaths are hot on your shoulder as you lean over him, your hands wandering from his chest to his sides to his hips. Each time you trail kisses and faint bite marks along his jawline or collarbone he gasps quietly, trembling beneath you. There are places that only you know he likes being touched best, and you can tell by the way he shivers or bites his lip, but he's so painfully careful about which sounds get to leave his lips, and which sounds get to remain held in.

_i want to hear everything_

You rest an ear upon his chest, searching for his heartbeat maybe, or a pulse, _something_ to let you know just how much he is enjoying this even though he won’t show it. And it’s beating fast, his heart— quick like a hummingbird's, thumping to a silent tune. His breaths come out in short, quiet pants, and you can tell he's trying way too hard to be silent.

With a gentle sigh, you lift yourself back up and move downwards towards his legs, tracing the scars as you go. You smirk when his breath hitches and his legs flinch on impulse, but you hold them down, gently.

"Shh, let me touch you here."

"B-but… Sin..."

You place a kiss on his hip, a single finger resting on the raised flesh of his inner thigh. The scars he had received from so long ago remain one of his many beautiful flaws, and as much as he hates their history and appearance, you could never turn your head away from them. Not like this— in this state, in this position, in this life. Never, could you turn away from Ja'far.

"Don't worry." You smile reassuringly. "It'll be alright."

Ja'far bites his lip with his cheeks flushed red and freckles like stars beneath them, but he nods, covering his face with one arm.

"Okay," he whispers in a voice so soft you struggle to hear it, but the affirmation makes you smile and your chest swell.

Without helping it, these words fly out of your mouth, stupidly enough. "Your body is a map of an uncharted island, Ja'far, and I want to explore all of it."

There's about three seconds of silence until Ja'far snorts and bursts into laughter, and you look up, surprised.

"What is that— some pick-up line you heard somewhere?" He lifts his arm from his face to give you a smile of amused disbelief. “Please tell me you have better, or I may have to formally apologize to every woman you've ever hit on."

A corner of your mouth tilts up, and you move further up, resting your chin in your hands. "Your body is a dungeon, and I want to conquer it."

He practically hits you in the face for that one, but he's still laughing.

"That's _awful_. Honestly, you are just..."

And he's smiling, genuinely laughing, and it's a sight you don't think you’ll ever get used to, nor tire of. It’s always been something so rare: both when you were young adventurers at sea, and even now... He's so uptight and overworked with all his duties that you worry he never gets to relax for one second. Even leaving the country in his hands for half a year may have been too much, but without a doubt, he did his best, as you expected. You’ve missed him, the trust you share in each other, the feel of his pale, freckled skin beneath yours and the gentle warmth you share between him. If you could, you would spend the rest of your life with—

Suddenly, Drakon and Hinahoho's words from earlier in the night echo in your head. _Find a wife_ , they said, but you’ve honestly never considered having one. You don't need a wife or kids when you have your country and...

"Sin?" Ja'far says your name quietly, and you just look at him, moonlight casting shadows across his face, white hair splayed out across the pillow, the silk shining underneath him, and you exhale.

"Ja'far," you rest your head on his shoulder, and you can smell your scent clinging to his skin. The night is singing in your heart, but the air remains silent. Ja'far breathes.

"Yes, Sin?"

"Will you always remain at my side?"

"...Is that an order?"

"Is it?"

"..."

"..."

"I will remain at your side out of my own free will, always." He says in a gentle voice filled with both loyalty and fondness, and it's as if every muscle in your body relaxes. You close your eyes, and laugh quietly.

"Of course. Of course..."

Ja'far's hands rest upon your shoulder blades, and he moves them slightly.

"Sin?"

"Sorry, it's nothing."

"...If you say so, my lord."

You smile once more before leaning up to kiss him, and his warmth and proximity all at once solidifies your resolve, and it's as if you can see both of your destinies crossed, wrapped up together, tied at the ends and never falling apart, for as long as you live. And you know, if there is one thing you are sure of, through all that may happen in the future— whether it be death, war, or allies lost— Ja'far is your universal constant, and he will always stay by your side.

**Author's Note:**

> cheesy sinja is my life force


End file.
